Imaginary Friends
by Lyon's Paw
Summary: Growing up, Jennifer's mother always told her to reach for the stars. Turns out she was being literal.
1. Chapter 1

**Imaginary Friends**

**A/N:** SGA/ Dr. Who Crossover. Takes place SGA season five prior to The Shrine and DW season four.

**Pairing:** McKeller

**Disclaimer: **Just having fun. I don't own either one of these great shows.

**Summary: **Growing up, Jennifer's mother always told her to reach for the stars. Turns out she was being literal.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Jennifer knew she was dreaming.

Somehow it made her feel a little better. But for a dream, it felt so real. The black sand was hot under her bare feet, almost too warm to be comfortable. The clouds in the deep red sky cast shadows' over the desolate landscape, as the harsh wind blowing in off the dark water stung her face.

She could feel him watching her.

"This isn't real," she said loudly, hoping her voice would carry over the ocean's crashing waves.

Turning to face him, she reflected on his appearance as he walked toward her, hands jammed into his pants pockets. He was dressed just like she remembered. His brown pin-striped suit and black converses looking entirely out of place on the long strip of barren beach.

"Technically, nothing is real and everything is real," he said with a lopsided grin.

"And I try to believe six impossible things every day before breakfast," she said with a laugh.

"Ah, dear Lewis. You know he based one of his characters on me," still grinning, he began bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"You don't say," she drawled, rolling her eyes heavenward. Had the sky always been so red? No, that wasn't right. It was supposed to be blue.

The hand on her shoulder jolted her out of her contemplation.

"It's just a dream, remember," he said lightly.

She reached up to pull the windswept hair out of her eyes.

"I'm not so sure anymore."

* * *

Jennifer startled out of sleep, nearly falling out of her narrow bed in the process. Clambering back into the center of her mattress, she tried to recall the fleeting memories of her dream. It was like there was something important she was forgetting, but it was too late. The dream was gone.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she yawned and started to get out of bed. Pulling her robe off of the chair next to her bed, she wrapped it around her as she started to walk to the bathroom. As she passed her balcony door, she hesitated. Pushing the glass doors open and moving onto the balcony, she rested her forearms on the railing. The sky was such a bright blue it almost hurt to look at. But it provided a stunning backdrop for the gleaming, sliver spirals of the city.

Sometimes she had a hard time believing that this was actually her life. She was just a girl from Chippewa Falls. Amazing things like this never happened to people like her.

It was times like this she wished her mom was still alive. Wished she could share Atlantis with her.

Jennifer's heart panged thinking about her mother. As much as she loved her father, it just wasn't the same without her mom.

Charles Keller is a salt of the earth kind of man. Stable, responsible and reliable. The kind of guy who returned tools in better condition than when he borrowed them and had probably never had an overdue library book in his life.

Miranda Keller had been a brilliant, vivacious and out-spoken women. While she hadn't been considered a classic beauty, there was just something about her that had people stop and stare when she walked into a room.

Her parents had been a clear case of opposites attracting.

Her father was the one who supported and encouraged her when she felt that college and then medical school were too much for someone as young as she had been. But it was her mother who taught her to reach for the impossible in the first place.

In fact, when Jennifer announced during a family reunion, at the young age of three, that she was going to grow up to be the best doctor in the whole universe, her mother had been the only one who hadn't chuckled and patted Jennifer on her head for saying something so cute.

Miranda had looked at her with a peculiar look that Jennifer hadn't understood until she was older. By then it was too late to ask her mother why she had such a look of longing on her face.

Looking out over the city, Jenifer knew that mom would have loved Atlantis.

Growing up, Miranda had regaled Jennifer with tales of the bizarre and fantastic. Of cat nuns, men made of metal, a world with trees that gleamed silver in the light of its two suns and rooms that were bigger on the inside. She remembered, with a shiver, some of the scarier stories her mother had told her. About a dark library that ate people and stone angels that moved when no one was looking. To this day Jennifer was still nervous about dark libraries and gave statues a wide berth. Just in case.

Of course, the stories that thrilled her and scared her so much she had to sleep with a night light were of mechanical creatures with a shrill call to exterminate all inferior life forms.

It was only when her ruminations were interrupted by the chime of her doorbell, did she realize how long she had been out on the balcony.

"I'm coming," she shouted out as she hurried across the room to the door. Waving her hand across the sensor, she smiled as the doors glided open reveling her friend Even.

"Hey, come on in," ushering him in. "I'm running a couple of minutes late. I kinda spaced out."

Even gave her an inquiring look. "You alright?"

She gave a little laugh as she hurried around the room gathering up her uniform and boots. "I'm fine. I just had a weird dream. Probably something I ate last night. Too much popcorn and candy," she said as she closed the bathroom door. "Give me like five minutes and I'll be ready to go."

Even made himself comfortable on the small blue sofa. He knew from experience from two older sisters when a woman gave you a time, to double it and keep your mouth shut about it.

"So what was the dream about?" he called over the running water. "Anything juicy?"

In the bathroom Jennifer snorted. "Please, I would be so lucky."

"Aww, so nothing about a certain bad-tempered, citrus-sensitive astrophysicist?"

The brunette sputtered at that comment, spraying toothpaste out of her mouth and onto the mirror.

"What, no… what?" she croaked.

"Well, you two did look pretty cozy at movie night last night," came the response through the door.

Flushing bright pink, Jennifer thanked God that there was a solid door between her and Evan. Picking up a small towel, she wiped the mirror down before throwing it in the hamper.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Evan," she said as she exited the bathroom. "I'm kinda surprised you saw anything other than Dr. Klein," referring to the botany department's newest member.

It was now the major's turn to blush.

"Um, hey, we're going to miss breakfast if we keep jabbering away," he said beating a hasty retreat from his seat to the door.

"Hmmm," Jennifer murmured her agreement as she walked out the door remembering to ask about Dr. Klein later. It would be good for him to actually get out on a date once and a while. Even if she was having a bit of a semi-dry spell, she could at least set her friends up for success.

"So, what was your dream about," asked Evan, breaking her out of her musings as they walked to the commissary.

Adjusting her radio over her ear, Jennifer shrugged. "I don't really remember it. You know, one of those annoying dreams that slip away as soon as you wake up."

Even nodded. "They drive me crazy when I have them."

"It's just… part of it felt kinda felt more like a memory then a dream. Like it was something important," she added.

"You have had a stressful couple of weeks," Evan added after a minutes of silence. "Maybe some of that stirring around in your subconscious. Maybe you should take a day off or something." Seeing that Jennifer didn't look very convinced by his theory, Evan back-pedaled. "Or you just too much junk food last night."

She rolled her eyes as they walked into the commissary. "Trust me, I say this with love, you make a better Marine then a therapist."

A/N: As always I adore feedback. Creative writing is new to me, so any constructive criticism is appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Imaginary Friends**

**A/N:** SGA/ Dr. Who Crossover. Takes place SGA season five prior to The Shrine and DW season four.

**Pairing:** McKeller

**Disclaimer: **Just having fun. I don't own either one of these great shows.

**Summary: **Growing up, Jennifer's mother always told her to reach for the stars. Turns out she was being literal.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"It stings."

You're just being a baby McKay," mocked John. "It's only a little cut."

"Only a little cut!" Rodney exclaimed. "It's at least three inches long. What if it gets infected? Who knows what germs are lurking in those old labs? I could die from this!"

Turning the corner into the infirmary, John watched as Rodney's eyes darted back and forth across the room before settling on the slight brunette doctor currently working at a table toward the back of the room.

"It's barely an inch long and look, your favorite doctor is here to kiss your boo-boo all better," John said in a low voice. It was good and well to tease Rodney about his crush on Dr. Keller but John didn't want her to over hear him. His yearly physical health assessment was coming up and he didn't want the big needles again.

Wincing at that memory, he almost missed Rodney start to blush.

"Wha… no, why would she kiss… I mean I wouldn't mind. Wait, never mind," sputtered Rodney as his blush grew.

Laughing at his friend, he drew him toward the back of the infirmary bypassing the on-duty physician. Catching Dr. Morlos' eye, John pointed toward Rodney, then at Jennifer. With a small nod of understanding, Dr. Morlos went back to his report.

Dr. Mckay's hatred of the infirmary and _voodoo science _was legendary among its staff. It was well known that the CMO was the only one who could treat the surly scientist without receiving a verbal beat down. In fact, whenever Rodney McKay was in the presence of the young doctor, his entire demeanor changed. Well, toward her anyway.

Snagging a post-it note off the desk, Dr. Morlos jotted down a quick note to place a bet in the base dating pool. He had a good feeling about the upcoming Christmas party. Nothing says romance like mistletoe and too much alcohol.

At the back of the infirmary, Jennifer was putting the finishing touches on her monthly inventory report. Pausing to stretch her back, she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey doc, I brought your favorite patient by."

Turning she found two of her most prolific patients standing behind her.

John nudged a scowling Rodney forward. "Rodney got a bit of a scrap while going through some equipment in the lower labs."

Jennifer greeted the two as she grabbed a pair of latex gloves from a nearby box and pulled them on in a smooth gesture.

Guiding Rodney toward one of the exam tables, she took the arm he was cradling to his chest and began looking it over for wounds.

"Well, the good news is you don't need any stitches," she said after finishing her exam. "It's a pretty shallow scrap. Give me a second to gather what I need and I'll have you cleaned up and back to work in a blink of an eye."

As Jennifer was collecting her cleaning kit, John started for the entrance of the infirmary.

"Well, look at the time. I think I have a briefing or something. Have fun Rodney, don't do anything I wouldn't."

Rodney snorted "It's not like that leaves me many options." Then realizing John was leaving, he hissed "Wait, you can't leave me here by myself."

"You're going to be fine, you did great last night."

Rodney paled. "I had beer last night and dim lights and people. I had beer!"

"You don't need a chaperone, Rodney," encouraged John. "Just be your usual charming self."

"Oh, ha ha, some wingman you are," muttered Rodney as John made his escape.

"What was that Rodney?"asked Jennifer.

"Nothing," he replied in a slightly higher pitched voice than usual.

"Are you ok? You look slightly pale."

"It's, um, I uh, didn't sleep well last night," he managed to squeak out. "Crazy dreams and all that. I got to stop eating before bed."

Jennifer looked up at him before she began cleaning his wound. "I know what you mean. I've been having some weird dreams lately. Unfortunately, half the time I can't even remember them."

"Oh, what kind of dreams? I mean if you don't want to tell me; I completely understand. I have weird dreams sometimes too and I don't like to tell people about them. Of course, sometimes the head shrinks want me to tell them. Not that I want to, because I don't believe that what they do should even be considered a science and…"

"Rodney," interrupted Jennifer. "Remember to breath," she joked.

He flushed. "Sorry."

"Don't be," she smiled. "I don't mind telling you. I think its sweet you asked."

"Really?"

"Really," she confirmed.

"So what do you dream about?" he asked.

"Sometimes it's just random things, sometimes it's about Atlantis," her voice took on a more somber tone. "Sometimes it about the patients we've lost."

Rodney looked up from his arm when he noticed the slight tremble in her voice.

Shaking her head a little, she began applying the butterfly bandages.

"And sometimes I dream about my big, pink, imaginary childhood friend," she said with a laugh.

Rodney raised his eyebrow at the last statement.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I know you had an imaginary friend as a kid. Everyone did."

Rodney had the grace to look a little embarrassed.

"Maybe," he muttered.

"I knew it," she giggled. "So what did yours look like?"

Rodney cheeks grew a little pink, "I, ah, don't really remember."

"You're a horrible liar, Rodney," Jennifer laughed.

His cheeks grew a little pinker.

"It might have been a blue teddy bear," he mumbled.

"That's sweet and so much more normal than mine," she said as she finished wrapping up his arm.

"Why, what did yours look like?" he asked not getting up from the exam table.

She cocked her head at him, trying to find an adequate way to explain how her imaginary friend looked that wouldn't have him think she was crazy. Ah, what the hell, they were in another galaxy, living on a giant flying city and fighting space vampires.

"Think of a six foot tall pink Cthulhu without wings," she finally said. "And his name was Fred."

Rodney was silent for a second as the mental image processed. Then he began to laugh. Softly at first before Jennifer joined in. Before long the two doctors were howling with laughter.

When he finally got himself under control and Jennifer was down to her last couple of giggles, he asked "Why Fred?"

Jennifer stopped giggling and just stared at him for a minute.

"Seriously, I just told you that my childhood imaginary friend was a six foot tall pink Cthulhu look-a-like and you asked me why I called him Fred?"

"Uh, yeah," responded an uncertain Rodney.

Jennifer burst out laughing again.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you."

The words were out before she could stop them. Clamping both hands over her mouth, she started to blush.

Rodney just stared at her with his mouth hanging out.

Before either one could respond, Rodney's radio went off.

"McKay here," he responded, sharper than he meant to.

"Rodney, we need you in the control room," a heavily accent voice said. "We have discovered an issue while running a diagnosis in the power regulation channels."

"Seriously, a chimpanzee should be able to figure those power regulation channels," responded Rodney. "I'll be there in five minutes. McKay out."

Turning his attention back to Jennifer, his mind froze for a second. Had she really said what she said? "Um, I gotta go. That was Radek."

She gave a weak smile, "The work never ends, huh."

"Yeah."

"Um, just remember to keep the bandages dry, ok," she added in a strained voice, she could feel the blush spreading across her face.

"Thanks, I'll see you later."

Jennifer watched as Rodney left the infirmary before she bolted for her office and hid behind her closed door. That had been mortifying. She couldn't believe she had said that to him. What was it about that man that made her feel like a nervous fifteen year-old girl trying to ask her crush out? Sitting at her desk, she put her head in her hands.

Well, at least no one else had been around to witness herself make an ass out of herself in front of the smartest man on the base.

At least the day couldn't get any worse.

SGA

She was so tired she could barely keep her eyes opens.

What had started as a peaceful duty day had rapidly disintegrated after she embarrassed herself in front of Rodney. Half an hour after he left, Ronan and Evan had brought in six new recruits in various states of injury. Thankfully the most serious injury was only a broken tibia. Shortly after she had released the airman, complete with new cast, a new slew of patients started arriving.

It turns out the issues with the power regulation channels were worse than originally thought. She treated two scientists and a marine for electrical shock and another scientist for a concussion.

Apparently when the marine was hit with the electric current, he knocked poor Dr. Snow off a balcony. Thankfully, a concussion and a few bruises were all he ended up with.

Additionally, Jennifer had to finish up all her monthly reports and two of her staff's yearly evaluations.

Kicking her boots off and into the corner; she didn't even bothering to undress before she fell into bed. Just a minute or two, she thought to herself and then I'll get up and finish revising that Wraith DNA research paper.

Within seconds, she was snoring.

She woke up in her childhood bedroom. It's bright, cheery yellow walls and soft blue carpet looked exactly as she remembered it. Sitting up in bed, she drew her legs up to her chest before wrapping her arms around her knees. _Something was wrong though_.

This room no longer existed.

At the ever so grown-up age of thirteen, Jennifer decided that the canary yellow walls and sky blue carpet were too babyish. She and her father had spent the weekend painting the walls cream and replacing the old carpet with a dark blue one. Two weeks later, her new walnut bedroom furniture arrived and they dismantled her old white and pink furniture and donated it to a local charity.

Looking around the room, she noticed her child sized table and chairs were set up in the center of her play area at the foot of her bed. Her small silver tea set was laid out in the center of the table.

Getting out of bed, she slowly made her way over to the table. Passing by the full length mirror attached to the back of her closet door, she did a double take. In the reflection was a small brown-haired girl, no older than nine, wearing a Winnie the Pooh nightgown. Jennifer whirled around checking to make sure she was the only one in the room.

Satisfied that she was, she made her way over to the mirror. She poked the surface of the mirror but felt nothing but the cool glass under her fingertips. Pulling her hand away, she began to examine herself carefully. Like the little girl in the mirror, she too was wearing a Winnie the Pooh nightgown.

She began waved furiously with her left hand while hopping up and down on her right foot. Satisfied that the reflection followed all the same movements, she leaned in closer to examine the face. Her face, or more specifically, her nine year-old self's face.

Why was she nine again?

Feeling more than a little weirded out, she backed up from the mirror bumping into one of the small chair set up around the table. Setting the fallen chair upright, she examined the small table bearing her favorite gift from her grandmother Evelyn. The small sterling silver tea set had been given to her as a present at her eight birthday party.

Her grandfather had bought it as a gift for grandmother while they had been stationed in France in the 50's. It originally had been for the daughter Evelyn thought she was pregnant with. But when the Christina they thought was going to have turned out to be her Uncle Christopher, her grandparent's had wrapped it up and decided to save it for a possible granddaughter.

One of Jenifer's favorite things to do growing up was have guests over for a tea party. If she couldn't get any of the adults in the house or neighborhood kids over for tea, she and Fred would drag out all her favorite stuffed animals out and have a party. Usually when this happened, her mother would bring up a big plate full of Scottish shortbreads since they were Fred's favorite.

Jennifer smiled to herself. He really did love those cookies, she was lucky if she even got one off the plate before he gobbled them down. She started to frown, something was wrong about that. How could something that didn't exist eat all those cookies?

Shaking her head, she wondered why she was even thinking about something so silly. She needed to figure out what was going on. With the way her luck was going today, she was probably laying catatonic in the infirmary while her subconscious wreaked havoc on her unconscious mind.

She tried pinching herself. It didn't work. Frowning, she slapped herself on the cheek. That didn't work either. Rubbing her stinging cheek, she tried to figure out where to go from here.

From the open window came a giant crack of thunder followed by a strong breeze that whipped her pink and yellow curtains around.

Sighing, she walked over to a window and closed it.

"You have nothing to fear from the oncoming storm, little one," came a voice from behind her.

Yelping in shock, Jennifer whirled around. Seeing who it was, she calmed down a bit, "For Christ's sake, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Seating at the small table, holding a Scottish shortbread in one hand and a glowing ball in the other, was Fred.

Letting out a small laugh, Jennifer grabbed the seat across from him, "Now I know I'm dreaming, hi Fred!"

Fred cocked his head at her, a surprising human gesture on such a strange looking creature. He held the shortbread up to the small tentacles hanging over where his mouth would be if he were human, Fred's tentacles began ripping it up.

Jennifer continued on, "You know I was just talking about you to Ro… someone."

Fred continued to look at her.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm guessing that's why you're here in my dream."

Sighing to herself, she snagged a cookie from the dish that hadn't been there a second ago. Biting into it, she studied Fred. He looked the same as even. Bald with mottled pinkish skin mostly covered by a tan jumpsuit, his tentacles were devouring another cookie. His eyes were focused on her.

"I missed you," she said smiling at him. "It's been a few years."

He nodded, blinking his large eyes slowly.

"Times must pass for all," he said softly.

"Tell me about it," she muttered sarcastically, busying herself with the pouring of the tea.

Fred helped himself to another cookie.

"So what were you saying about the storm?" she asked as she passed him a teacup.

Fred raised the tea to his tentacles, one sliding down to gingerly test the temperature. Pausing, he placed the cup down on the table in front of him.

"Trust the oncoming storm."

She blinked and he was gone.

A/N: As always I adore feedback. Creative writing is new to me, so any constructive criticism is appreciated.


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